What's up with Magnesium? .... and why it may not seem like it's working.

What’s Up With Magnesium… and Why It Might Not Be Working for You (Women Over 40)

If you’re a woman over 40 struggling with sleep, waking up at 3AM, feeling wired but exhausted, or dealing with anxiety and restlessness…

👉 you’ve probably been told to take magnesium.

But what does magnesium actually do—and why does it work for some women and not others?

In this episode, Peggy Moore, Registered Nurse and Functional Medicine Practitioner, breaks down magnesium in a simple, relatable way so you can finally understand how it supports your nervous system, sleep, and midlife metabolism.

Because magnesium isn’t a sleeping pill… it helps your body slow down.

💛 What You’ll Learn

✔ Why magnesium is essential in midlife
 ✔ How it supports sleep, anxiety, and relaxation
 ✔ The connection to “wired but tired”
 ✔ Why many women are low in magnesium
 ✔ The different types (glycinate, citrate, oxide, threonate)
 ✔ How to choose the right type for your needs
 ✔ Recommended doses for sleep and overall health
 ✔ Why supplement quality matters
 ✔ Why magnesium alone won’t fix poor sleep habits

🧠 Key Takeaway

👉 Magnesium isn’t about taking more…
👉 it’s about taking the right type for your body

🥑 Magnesium-Rich Foods

Pumpkin seeds, almonds, leafy greens, beans, avocado, and dark chocolate are all great sources—but many women still fall short in daily intake.

💊 Quick Guide

Magnesium glycinate: 100–300 mg (sleep + calm)
Magnesium citrate: 150–400 mg (digestion support)
Magnesium threonate: 1,000–2,000 mg compound (brain support)
Magnesium oxide: poorly absorbed

⚠️ Important

Magnesium supports your system—but it won’t override:

❌ high stress
 ❌ late caffeine
 ❌ inconsistent sleep
 ❌ scrolling in bed

💛 Free Masterclass

Ready to understand what’s really happening in your body?

👉 Join my free Midlife Metabolism Masterclass

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986382867629?aff=oddtdtcreator

📚 Research Referenced

Uwitonze & Razzaque (2018), Nutrients
 Abbasi et al. (2012), Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
 Gröber et al. (2020), Nutrients
 Rondanelli et al. (2021), Nutrients

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Check us out on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@peggymoorehealthandwellness

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi friends, and welcome back to Discover Your Personal Power, Hormones, Metabolism, and Midlife. My name is Peggy Moore, and I'm a registered nurse and functional medicine consultant and basically your translator for what your body is trying to say in midlife without you needing 14 tabs open and reheating your tea for the third time. Today we're talking about magnesium. Because if you're over 40 and not sleeping well, someone has definitely told you to take some magnesium. And you're like, okay, but what is it actually doing? So let's break it down in a way that actually makes sense. Let me explain magnesium in a way that you'll remember. Magnesium is like the smooth, steady rhythm, slow song in your body's dance. Because right now, everything is moving fast. Your nervous system is rushing. Your brain won't stop. And magnesium comes in like, okay, we're slowing this down. We're gonna put on some Phil Collins, some air supply or foreigner to find a slow, soothing groove. It changes the rhythm. So no longer guns and roses, no longer Metallica, but more like we're not doing this chaos today. Because your body in midlife, it is a little chaotic. Hormones are shifting, sleep gets weird, stress is on a loop, but magnesium can help bring things back to neutral. Here's what's actually happening behind the scenes. Magnesium is involved in 300 plus processes in your body. Everything from how your muscles relax to how your nervous system responds to stress. So, no, it's not just a sleep supplement, it's a stabilization mineral. And in midlife, we require some stability. So let's talk about that feeling of I'm exhausted, but I'm also wired. You get into bed and suddenly your brain is like, let's review everything that has happened in our life. That's your nervous system being overstimulated. Magnesium helps to regulate GABA, which is your calming system, and NMDA, your stimulating system. So think of it like a dimmer switch, calm lights, calm music. But without enough magnesium, your brain is stuck on full brightness, neon lights, and ACDC on full blast at 10 p.m. So when levels are low, you might notice trouble falling asleep, waking up at 3 a.m., tight muscles, or restlessness. A lot of people experience those restless leg syndrome, anxiety. And then during midlife, when hormones are already shifting, this hits harder. So let's be real. Magnesium is not going to knock you out like a sleeping pill, but studies have shown it can improve sleep quality, help with early morning waking, and support relaxation, especially in people who are running a little low. There's even clinical research showing improvements in sleep time and efficiency with magnesium supplementation. So think of it like this: it doesn't force sleep, but it helps your body relax and be ready for sleep. Now let's talk about the different types of magnesium because this is where people get often overwhelmed. Number one, magnesium glycinate. This is your calm and dependable friend. That soft, smooth, slow music. It's well absorbed, it's gentle, it's great for sleep, and this is the one that most women do best with. Typical dose for magnesium glycinate is about 100 to 300 milligrams taken in the evening. Best for sleep, anxiety, and that wired but tired feeling. Next is magnesium citrate. So this one is like we're solving all the problems today. It helps with constipation, but it can move things along a little too well. Typical dose is 150 to 400 milligrams a day, but be very careful. This is what we actually use in the hospital to clean out the digestive tract before colonoscopy. So if you've ever experienced that joy, you know that it's not a fun process. So be careful with magnesium citrate. So magnesium oxide is pretty common, it's pretty cheap, but I want you to know it's not very well absorbed. It's like showing up, but not really doing the job. When it comes to supplements, quality really matters because they're not regulated the same way that other medications are. And that means what's on the label isn't always what's actually in the bottle. So if you've ever taken something like magnesium and thought this didn't do anything, it may not have been your body, it may have been the products. I always tell my clients, it likes it's like trying to fill your gas tank with watered-down fuel. You're doing the right thing, but your body isn't getting what it actually needs. So when you choose supplements, look for reputable companies that use third-party testing, proper forms of the nutrients, if it needs to be in a specific form for you in order to absorb it, and clean ingredients because this isn't about taking more, it's about making sure what you're taking actually works. The third form of magnesium that I want to talk about is magnesium threonate. This one is more brain focused. Think memory cognition. And a typical dose is usually a thousand to two thousand milligrams of magnesium threonate compound, but it's equal to a hundred to a hundred and fifty of elemental magnesium. So make sure you look at your labels. I'll make sure to put these supplements in the show notes with the typical prescribed dose. But magnesium threonate is good for cognition, it's good for memory, and it's good for brain fog. And often people split it, taking half in the morning and half in the evening. Magnesium isn't about taking more, it's about taking the right type for what your body needs. You can also get magnesium in whole foods. So pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, beans, almonds, dark chocolate, avocado. All those are rich in magnesium. But unfortunately, here's the reality: most women are not getting enough for what they need for their daily allowance of magnesium. Research has shown intake is often lower than recommended in modern-day diets. So you're not doing anything wrong. Your body just may need a little more support. And magnesium is helpful, but it cannot override high stress all day, late caffeine, inconsistent sleep, scrolling in bed. Magnesium is there as a support to help your system, but it doesn't replace habits. Magnesium is not a quick fix and it's not a magic pill. It's part of creating an internal environment where your body can finally relax. Your body is a dance. Magnesium helps the music to slow down so everything can move and rhythm again. If you're waking up at night feeling wired and tired and like your body just won't settle, magnesium glycinate may be best to help for you. But it works best when you understand the bigger picture. Join me for my free masterclass where I connect sleep, stress, hormones, and metabolism into one clear roadmap so you can stop guessing and actually start feeling better. The link is in the show notes. Remember, midlife is a biological transition. And the more you understand your body, the less confusing it can be. If this episode helped you connect the dots between that feeling of being tired and wired and how magnesium can help you rest and reset, please hit the subscribe button so you don't miss the next episode. And share this with a friend who has ever said, I can't sleep at night because my brain goes over everything that I've done during the day and for the past 20 years. They may just need a little bit of support. Thanks for joining me today. My name is Peggy Moore, and this is Discover Your Personal Power Hormones, Metabolism, and Midlife. See you next time.